Charlie Rapinoe: A Journey into the Music Industry

Introduction
Charlie Rapinoe, welcome and thank you so much for joining us.

Starting Out in the Industry
"How did you start out in the industry?"
I started out in the industry because, probably, I couldn't have done much else. I had a big problem with authority and organized systems, which basically cut me off from 95% of any job.

• I was studying as a university student in my hometown, a small town southeast of Milan.
• At that time, I was working in a radio station in Italy.

It was a classic Italian scenario where they changed legislation and everything basically fell into complete anarchy. Everyone could open a radio station, and I was in a radical student radio. Through this radio, I got involved in concert and music promotion locally.

We promoted some pretty big gigs, like:

• Iggy Pop (who was big at the time)
• Patti Smith
  ... and others.

Role in Promotions
"I wasn't really a promoter; I was a liaison because I was the only one who could speak English."

Early Influences
My interest as a child, my earliest memories, was a strong curiosity about records, not because of the music, which you might find funny, but because I really liked the RCA logo.

• I must have been three or four years old, and I remember exactly the RCA logo, as it was the most important company in Italy at the time, along with Ricordi.
• I loved watching the records spin round and round.

I grew up with my grandparents near Naples, and my uncles were teenagers during a time when Naples was strategically important for the United States to control the Mediterranean. There was a significant presence of American GIs from NATO, who brought their music with them.

As a result, the music we grew up with was mainly African American music, such as:

• Otis Redding
• James Brown

It's almost like an Italian version of Liverpool because of Naples being a port and an important military point for the US forces.

Influential Records
"What were some of the first records you heard and were really influenced by?"
It was really the Beach Boys. I don't know why, but my uncles could get records and singles through NATO shops. I clearly remember Beach Boys records that were for military sales only.

In 1968-1967, seven out of the top ten in Italy were Black American acts. Stevie Wonder even translated his songs into Italian at one point, performing at the San Remo festival.

Mainly, my early memories consist of vinyl records spinning while listening to African American-influenced music through the radio.

Synergy with American Artists
Fast-forwarding to my time as a student, there was a natural synergy with American artists, including Iggy Pop and Patti Smith.

Italian popular music was thriving. Music schools, called conservatoria, had been established in Naples. RCA, being an American company, had to open a studio in Rome for war damages, in partnership with the Vatican.

The Vatican held a significant political influence on Italian affairs, and international releases like Elvis were handled from Rome. That studio was used by everyone, including Ennio Morricone, with whom I later worked.

A Renaissance Moment
Italian pop music was at its height during this time. If you needed a mid-tempo ballad, you had to go to Italy. Remember tracks like "Don't Have to Say You Love Me"? That was an Italian song.

There was a renaissance in music due to political and economic reasons, similar to the Liverpool scenario.

The Right Place at the Right Time
I feel I was in the right place at the right time in my youth, involved in student-driven radio and live promotions.

The gigs we hosted with Iggy Pop and Patti Smith were successful, though they were chaotic due to the Italian organizational style and some shady individuals involved. But it got my foot in the door.

I was more fascinated by what was behind the artist,
the brand, the structure, and the whole framework rather than the artist himself. I wasn't interested in being a rock star; I wanted to be the guy behind the rock star.

There was this absurd entrepreneurial streak in me. I found those managers fascinating, the kind with cigars, fast cars, and a lifestyle reminiscent of James Bond.